Paradise Falls (Paradise Falls #1-5)(9)

“Tell me again what happened,” Jacob said. “Don’t leave anything out.”

“I was going to class when I saw that big kid with his pack open. I didn’t see inside, but he was taking a big wad of cash from another kid.”

“Do you know either of their names?”

He lightly shook his head and winced.

“Then what?”

“I stared too long, I guess. The big one saw me and came after me. I tried to tell him I was cool but he started hitting me and threw me into the locker. Then you came out.”

“I see.” Jacob glanced at Jennifer.

“I need to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion,” Miss Meyers said.

Jacob nodded before leaving. He briskly walked the opposite direction from his classroom, and headed instead towards the office. Jennifer tried to catch up.

“Where are you going?”

“The office.”

She motioned over her shoulder. “You should let the administration handle this.”

“I have to be sure,” he said calmly.

He pushed through the main office door, then continued through the half-door within the long counter separating the administrative section from the waiting area lined with plastic bucket chairs. Jennifer scurried behind him, even as Lisa half-stood to protest. Jacob bypassed Howard’s empty office, then turned to the conference room, a windowed room with an oval table and cheap plastic chairs. The student who attacked Cole cuffed to one of those chairs. Edwards talked on his radio as he emptied the contents of the boy’s bag on the table.

No school supplies dropped from the bag. Jennifer knew marijuana when she saw it, but there was a whole assortment of bottles filled with pills, powders in bags, and blotter paper she suspected was acid.

Howard stopped them at the door.“What are you two doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you about disciplinary action against the other student,” Jacob said.

“I’m not worried about that right now. Did you see that?” He thumbed over his shoulder. “This is a damned mess.”

“I just want to make sure he won’t get in trouble,” Jacob said.

“Look, I don’t want that to happen either, but we have a strict disciplinary code here.”

Jacob looked at him, flatly. “You must have some discretion. The kid took a big risk pointing out the bag to you.”

“I’d have searched it anyway.”

“That’s not the point.”

Jennifer pushed into the conversation.“He’s right,” she said. “The kid was already beaten up. He could have just kept his mouth shut.”

Howard palmed his face in frustration. Beet red and sweating, he looked like an angry police captain in a movie.

“Fine,” he said. “You made your point. I can probably make sure the kid isn’t arrested at the very least. We need to handle this now.” He turned away to prevent further arguments.

Jennifer and Jacob exchanged glances. The feeling of looking up at someone was still a novelty. His shoulders slumped as he turned to head out of the office. The set of his jaw made the skin pucker slightly around his scar. Jacob brushed the hair out of his face before turning back to Jennifer.

“Are you hurt? He gave you a pretty good shot.”

“I’m fine.” Jennifer rubbed her stomach. “He just surprised me. This isn’t my day, is it?”

“I suppose not,” Jacob said.

“You did a good job,” she said.

“I did?”

“It must be quite a thing to see something like that on your first day on the job. I didn’t see a fight until November of my first year. Two girls.”

“That can’t be too bad,” he said.

She shook her head. “Teenage girls fighting are the worst. You know how boys are most of the time. They fight to establish dominance. Half the time they end up friends after a few punches. Girls aren’t like that. When they fight, they fight to hurt each other.”

“You speak from experience?”

She shrugged. “Just observation.”

“I think that boy was trying to hurt the other one,” he said.

“Yes. This is pretty serious. How did you do all that?”

“All what?”

She shrugged. “That fancy fighting. You’re fast.”

“Nothing fancy about it.”

He shook his head, and another lock of hair pulled loose and draped over his ear. Jennifer had a curious urge to tuck it back.

“Every teenage boy thinks he can fight ten times better than he really can.”

“You have some kind of training. I can tell by the way you move.”

“The same way I can tell you have a few years of gymnastics?”

She blinked. “I suppose.”

He laughed. “It’s just a hobby. Something to keep me in shape while I studied.”

“You must be a swift learner.”

He shrugged, and his grin started to come back. “So, should I eat lunch with you?”

Jennifer’s mind begged for a chance to spend some time getting to know Jacob. Instead, she stammered a weak excuse about work requiring her immediate attention.

What’s wrong with you? You don’t have anything to do. It’s the first day!